Bill Paley and the Goldie Laguito No.

When you think of luxury cigar brands, there are several that come to mind. Nat Sherman would certainly be one of them. In particular, one has been rising to the top for the past several years, La Palina Cigars. An old brand resurrected by Bill Paley and relaunched in 2010 at the annual IPCPR.

Resurrecting the La Palina brand was a journey for Bill. In an article that I published last summer, which can be found HERE written by Frank Seltzer, you can read about some of that journey. The brand had died out sometime in the 1960's as far as Bill can tell. That was the last time a box of La Palina Cigars could be found. At that time, they were being made in the Dominican. As noted in the article, Bill's strategy is simple, excellence and quality period. Like he says, If you go for excellence and real quality, people will appreciate it. You will grow sales and won't have to convince anybody.

 

The wrapper is an elegant Ecuadorian habano. A 6x38 Petit Lancero. Flawless in nature, the wrapper has no defects to be found. It is finished off with a pigtail cap and the elegant gold embossed La Palina label. While not an overly complex cigar, due to the smaller size, you can still find multiple different tones to it. Quite a few, I was pleasantly surprised.

Initial inspection of the cigar found a cedar smell to them. A pleasant aroma that beckons you to light it up. After toasting the foot of the cigar, I found black peppery notes along with almonds and fruit that dominated the first several inches into the smoke. The draw in is spot on and the same can be said for the burn. Construction is nothing short of perfection. Halfway in and sharp spice notes with a cinnamon aftertaste dominate.

I’ve been fortunate enough to now smoked my way through a box of these over the past year. I can say every one has been consistent and reliable. At a price point around fifteen dollars per stick, this is not your everyday smoke. But for those of you looking for that special cigar, I would recommend it highly.

The cigar finishes up with spice overtones with glimpses of a nutty nature and cinnamon.

There is not a more pleasant man you will find in the cigar industry, then Bill Paley. In fact, I have dubbed him, the most interesting man in the cigar industry. A bartender, Vietnam veteran, yacht captain and addiction counselor, are just some of the titles he has held. So, next time you walk by the humidor and see a La Palina cigar, don't hesitate to grab it, light up and enjoy this great thing we call The Cigar Lifestyle.